. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
Defects aid mother-of-pearl's assembly, according to new research
by Brooks Hays
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 4, 2021

Scientists have finally uncovered the structural secrets of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, the organic-inorganic composite material that forms the smooth, shiny layer found inside the shells of many mollusk species.

According to a new study, published Monday in the journal Nature Physics, structural defects in the material's self-assembly process ensure nacre's incredible uniformity and strength.

Impressively, mother-of-pearl is the product of a disorganized synthesis process.

The process begins when individual cells begin depositing bits of material simultaneously at different locations. During the early stages of construction, the material is not at all uniform.

"In the very beginning, the layered mineral-organic tissue is full of structural faults that propagate through a number of layers like a helix," study co-author Igor Zlotnikov said in a news release.

"In fact, they look like a spiral staircase, having either right-handed or left-handed orientation," said Zlotnikov, a research group leader at Dresden University of Technology's Center for Molecular Bioengineering.

"The role of these defects in forming such a periodic tissue has never been established," Zlotnikov said. "On the other hand, the mature nacre is defect-free, with a regular, uniform structure. How could perfection emerge from such disorder?"

To find out, Zlotnikov and his colleagues worked with scientists at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, to image and compare the structures of both early and mature nacre.

Using the French facility's high-powered imaging technology, synchrotron-based holographic X-ray nano-tomography, researchers were able to observe the growth of nacre at extremely fine scales.

The state-of-the-art imaging technology also allowed researchers to analyze the material's growth in three dimensions.

"The combination of electron dense and highly periodical inorganic platelets with delicate and slender organic interfaces makes nacre a challenging structure to image," said co-author Alexandra Pacureanu, researcher with the X-ray Nanoprobe group at ESRF.

"Cryogenic imaging helped us to obtain the resolving power we needed," said Pacureanu, a researcher with the X-ray Nanoprobe group at ESRF.

To analyze the complex imaging data, the researchers used what's called a segmentation algorithm to train computer neural networks to distinguish different layers of the mother-of-pearl material.

The novel algorithm allowed researchers to identify the behavior of individual defects as the material matured. They found screw-shaped defects seemed to influence the behavior of other defects from surprisingly long distances.

For example, right-handed and left-handed defects migrated toward one another until they collided and cancelled each other out. The phenomenon allowed the material to become increasingly uniform as it matured.

Researchers said they suspect this so-called periodic formation process may explain the uniformity of other similarly strong biogenic structures.


Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


TECH SPACE
Spontaneous robot dances highlight a new kind of order in active matter
Atlanta GA (SPX) Jan 01, 2021
Predicting when and how collections of particles, robots, or animals become orderly remains a challenge across science and engineering. In the 19th century, scientists and engineers developed the discipline of statistical mechanics, which predicts how groups of simple particles transition between order and disorder, as when a collection of randomly colliding atoms freezes to form a uniform crystal lattice. More challenging to predict are the collective behaviors that can be achieved when the ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

TECH SPACE
China to launch core module of space station in first half of 2021

US may buy seat on Russia's Soyuz for astronaut's flight to ISS in Spring 2021,

NASA awards contract for Cold Stowage II

Russian cosmonaut says new air leak on ISS Zvezda module not critical

TECH SPACE
Long March 8 rocket makes maiden flight

mu Space to push Thai space industry, planning to build its first spaceship in 2021

FAA begins scoping period for environmental review at SpaceX launch site

SLS team completes propellant loading of Core Stage during Green Run test

TECH SPACE
A Martian Roundtrip: NASA's Perseverance Rover Sample Tubes

How to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again

NASA moves forward with campaign to return Mars samples to Earth

Three things we've learned from NASA's Mars InSight

TECH SPACE
China's Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on new mission to gravitationally stable spot at L1

China plans to launch four manned spacecraft in next two years

Mission accomplished, now on to the next: China Daily editorial

China prepares to launch Long March-8 Y1 rocket

TECH SPACE
Voyager Space Holdings to buy all of Nanoracks

Lockheed Martin To Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne

Russia lifts UK telecom satellites into orbit

Hughes selected by OneWeb for Ground system development and production under new $250 million contract

TECH SPACE
Spontaneous robot dances highlight a new kind of order in active matter

New radiation vest technology protects astronauts, doctors

Order and disorder in crystalline ice explained

Space bauble

TECH SPACE
Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet

Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites

Device mimics life's first steps in outer space

Scientists discover compounds that could have helped to start life on Earth

TECH SPACE
Dark Storm on Neptune reverses direction, possibly shedding a fragment

The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Updates Quarter-Century Jupiter Mystery

Swedish space instrument participates in the search for life around Jupiter









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.